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Soulknife
= Soulknife Editor Commentary = For those familiar with the soulknife class as presented in Psionics Unleashed, the following class will greatly resemble it without many changes. The class was adjusted however to remove the psionic aspect of the class and present it as a magic one. Psionics as a whole are exceptionally complex and powerful, but the soulknife class is simple and tame enough, without any significant psionic aspects that couldn't be easily replaced by a magic explanation. For those wanting to know the actual changes made, here is a short list: * Lore-wise, the soulknife is now a magic user who controls a power that is similar to the arcane. In general this only changes the text and description of various abilities. For example, "Psychic Strike" is now called "Magic Strike." Any allusions to psychic abilities or powers have been removed and replaced with magic ones. The soulknife is however not actually a caster and does not use spells, and is not able to take feats that require a level of spellcaster (such as Arcane Strike). An example might be that soulknife is similar to alchemist. While a magic user, it is not a magic caster, and cannot take feats or abilities that require caster levels. * Knowledge (psionics) was removed and replaced with Knowledge (arcana). This helps present the class as a magic one, and roughly replaces the role of the original skill. * Autohypnosis was removed and replaced with Heal. While not a direct comparison, it allows some of the same checks and is based on the same stat, Wisdom. * Wild Talent was removed as it served no real purpose to the class when imagined as a magic user, and any system which uses power points is not available. * Since various abilities were based on maintaining or releasing Psionic Focus, the ability has been built into the soulknife as a class feature called Magic Focus. The ability is granted at level 2, when the soulknife first has the opportunity to access abilities which require maintaining or releasing focus. This functions identically to psionic focus except it does not allow a bonus to concentration checks (mostly since the soulknife doesn't have any spells). * All third party weapon special abilities were removed; the soulknife can only enhance her blades with standard weapon abilities. This is mostly because psionic weapon abilities are overly powerful or impossible to deal with outside of a psionic setting. * A few blade skills were removed, but only if they were related to or granted power points (mostly in relation to the Gifted Blade archetype). * DCs on blade skills were changed to 10 + 1/2 the soulknife's level + the soulknife's Wisdom modifier. The original DC of 10 + BAB was not in line with the abilities of standard classes. * In a few instances, additional text was added or sentences reworded in order to be more clear on rules. In general the abilities should remain the same, but hopefully less ambiguous. Research was done to clarify how an ability is supposed to work before elaborating on how it works now. * The Gifted Blade archetype was removed since it dealt with power points and psionic powers. * A small selection of feats were taken from Psionics Unleashed if they dealt with things that soulknives could easily get or were intended to access. They are listed at the bottom of the page as feats soulknives are allowed to take when leveling. = The Soulknife Class = Never caught unarmed, the soulknife is the literal interpretation of using the power of the mind as a weapon. Creating a mind blade is the core of the soulknife, and with it, she is a deadly combatant. Versatile and varied, the soulknife can be found in all shapes and sizes, wielding blades unique to the wielder and customized to fit the needs of the soulknife. Fluid in function, the soulknife has mastered how to alter her mind blade to fit the situation, bringing power and versatility into any combat. Role: As a wielder of a weapon first and foremost, the soulknife excels as a front-line combatant on the battlefield. Her limited armor options and defensive abilities can be a hindrance, but her varied blade abilities can make her an excellent mobile warrior or battlefield controller. Alignment: Any Hit Die: d10 Class Skills: Acrobatics (Dex), Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Perception (Wis), Stealth (Dex), and Swim (Str). Skill Ranks Per Level: 4 + Int modifier Table: Soulknife Class Features All of the following are class features of the soulknife. Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A soulknife is proficient with all simple weapons, with her own mind blade (regardless of form), with light and medium armor, and with shields (but not tower shields). Bonus Feat The soulknife may choose Power Attack, Two-Weapon Fighting, or Weapon Focus (mind blade) as a bonus feat at 1st level. Form Mind Blade (Su) As a move action, a soulknife can form a semi-solid weapon composed of magic energy distilled from her own mind. A soulknife must choose the form of her mind blade at 1st level. She can either form it into a light weapon, a one-handed weapon, or a two-handed weapon. Once chosen, her mind blade stays in this form every time the soulknife forms her mind blade. The light weapon deals 1d6 points of damage, the one-handed weapon deals 1d8 points of damage, and the two-handed weapon deals 2d6 points of damage. All damages are based on a Medium-sized creature wielding Medium-sized weapons; adjust the weapon damage as appropriate for different sized weapons. In all forms, the mind blade has a critical range of 19-20/x2. If the soulknife's chosen form is a light weapon, she may choose to form two light weapons when forming her mind blade if she so chooses, but she suffers the standard penalties for two-weapon fighting. Regardless of the weapon form a soulknife has chosen, her mind blade does not have a set damage type. When shaping her weapon and assigning abilities to it, the soulknife chooses whether it will deal bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. The soulknife may change the damage type of an existing mind blade, or may summon a new mind blade with a different damage type, as a full-round action; otherwise, the mind blade retains the last damage type chosen every time it is summoned. The blade can be broken (it has hardness 10 and 10 hit points); however, a soulknife can simply create another on her next move action. The moment she relinquishes her grip on her blade, it dissipates (unless she intends to throw it; see below). A mind blade is considered a magic weapon for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction and is considered a masterwork weapon. A soulknife can use feats such as Power Attack or Combat Expertise in conjunction with the mind blade just as if it were a normal weapon. She can also choose her mind blade for feats requiring a specific weapon choice, such as Weapon Focus and Improved Critical. Powers or spells that upgrade weapons can be used on a mind blade. The soulknife can use feats such as Weapon Finesse that work on light weapons with her mind blade, but such feats only work on mind blades in a light weapon form. Even in places where magic effects do not normally function (such as within a null magic field), a soulknife can attempt to sustain her mind blade by making a DC 20 Will save. On a successful save, the soulknife maintains her mind blade for a number of rounds equal to her class level before she needs to check again, although the mind blade is treated for all purposes as a non-magical, masterwork weapon while in a place where magic effects do not normally function. On an unsuccessful attempt, the mind blade vanishes. As a move action on her turn, the soulknife can attempt a new Will save to rematerialize her mind blade while she remains within the magic-negating effect. She gains a bonus on Will saves made to maintain or form her mind blade equal to the total enhancement bonus of her mind blade (see below). The soulknife chooses the appearance of her mind blade, although its shape must reflect the selections the soulknife has chosen: a bludgeoning mind blade would be blunt, slashing would have an edge, etc. Shape Mind Blade (Su) The soulknife's mind blade retains the last chosen form every time it is formed until the soulknife reshapes it. If the soulknife chooses to reshape her blade, it requires a full-round action to do so. She may also re-assign the type of damage dealt as part of reshaping her mind blade if she so chooses. A soulknife can reassign the ability or abilities she has added to her mind blade; see below. To do so, she must first spend 8 hours in concentration. These cannot be the normal 8 hours used for rest. After that period, the mind blade materializes with the new ability or abilities selected by the soulknife. Throw Mind Blade All soulknives have some knowledge of how to throw their mind blades, though the range increment varies by form and the largest of blade forms cannot be thrown. Light weapon mind blades have a range increment of 20 ft. One-handed weapon mind blades have a range increment of 15 ft. Two-handed weapon mind blades cannot be thrown without the Two-Handed Throw blade skill. Whether or not the attack hits, a thrown mind blade then dissipates. Magic Focus (Su) Soulknives have a special energy within them which is similar to arcane magic. While they cannot actually cast spells, this magic focus passively grants them the ability to create and utilize the mind blade. Additionally, at 2nd level, a soulknife can meditate to become magically focused. Meditating is a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. Once you are magically focused, you remain focused until you expend your focus, become unconscious, or go to sleep (or enter a meditative trance, in cases such as elves). Some blade skills, soulknife class features, and feats require the soulknife to release her magic focus to use. Expending a magic focus to power a blade skill or ability only powers a single effect. You cannot gain the benefit of multiple abilities that require expending focus by expending your magic focus once; each effect requires its own instance of expending magic focus. Expending a magic focus is a free action as part of another action unless otherwise stated. Blade Skills Beginning at 2nd level and every even soulknife level thereafter, a soulknife may choose one of a number of abilities to add to her repertoire. Some blade skills have prerequisites that must be met before they can be chosen. All blade skills may only be chosen once and require the soulknife to be using her mind blade unless otherwise stated in the skill's description. A complete list of Blade skills can be found here, Blade Skills Enhanced Mind Blade A soulknife's mind blade improves as the character gains higher levels. At 3rd level and every odd level thereafter, the mind blade gains a cumulative +1 enhancement bonus that she may spend on an actual enhancement bonus or on weapon special abilities. A soulknife's level determines her maximum enhancement bonus (see Table: Soulknife). The soulknife may (and must, when her total enhancement is higher than her maximum bonus) apply any special ability from Table: Weapon Special Abilities instead of an enhancement bonus, as long as she meets the level requirements. A soulknife can choose any combination of weapon special abilities and/or enhancement bonus enhancement bonus before assigning any special abilities. If the soulknife shapes her mind blade into two items, the enhancement bonus of her mind blade (if any) is reduced by 1 (to a minimum of 0). If this would reduce the enhancement bonus on the mind blades to 0 and weapon special abilities are applied, the soulknife must reshape her mind blade to make the options valid. Both mind blades have the same selection of enhancement bonus that does not exceed the total allowed by the soulknife's level, but she must assign at least a +1 and weapon special abilities (if any). This penalty does not apply when using the Mind Shield blade skill. * The Keen effect can be applied to any mind blade regardless of damage type. Magic Strike (Su) As a move action, a soulknife of 3rd level or higher can imbue her mind blade with destructive magic energy. This effect deals an extra 1d8 points of damage on any attack she wishes to activate it on (as long as the attack is made with her mind blade). A soulknife may hold the charge as long as she likes without discharging. It does not go off on any attack unless she chooses to use it, and the charge is not wasted if an attack misses. Mindless creatures are immune to this damage, although non-mindless creatures immune to mind-affecting effects are affected by this damage as normal. (Unlike the rogue's sneak attack, the magic strike is not precision damage and can affect creatures otherwise immune to extra damage from critical hits or more than 30 feet away.) The damage dealt by this ability is the same as the damage done by the weapon, and is subject to DR or resistance. A mind blade deals this extra damage only once when this ability is called upon, but a soulknife can imbue her mind blade with magic energy again by taking another move action. Additionally, she may recharge it as a swift action by expending her magic focus. Once a soulknife has prepared her blade for a magic strike, it holds the extra energy until it is used. Even if the soulknife drops the mind blade (or it otherwise dissipates, such as when it is thrown), it is still imbued with magic energy when the soulknife next materializes it. If the soulknife forms her mind blade into two weapons, she may imbue each mind blade with magic strike as normal. If she reshapes her mind blade into a single weapon form, the additional magic strike imbued into the additional weapon is lost. At every four levels thereafter (7th, 11th, etc), the extra damage from a soulknife's magic strike increases by 1d8. Quick Draw A 5th level soulknife may manifest her mind blade as a free action, though she may still only attempt to do so once per round (unless throwing the weapon multiple times using the Multiple Throw blade skill). Mind Blade Mastery At 20th level, a soulknife reaches the pinnacle of her art and her connection to her blade is so strong it cannot be severed. She no longer requires a Will save to maintain her mind blade in a null magic field, although it still loses any enhancement bonus and special abilities. In addition, she may change the configurations of her mind blade's special abilities at will as a full-round action, which also resets any penalties that may have accrued from the Fluid Form and Improved Fluid Form blade skills. Favored Class Bonus Soulknife Feats The following feats can only be taken by individuals who have ranks in soulknife, as long as they qualify for them. Most of these feats require or amplify the soulknife's magic focus ability.